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Seven people were killed on Saturday morning when unknown
persons attacked Maza, a village in Jos North Local Government of Plateau
State.

The attack on the sleepy and mountainous village, also
left 10 others injured, while some houses were burnt.

“We are just coming out of the village; it is a difficult
terrain really. There isn’t much to say. This incident is just sad,” Kingsley
Umoh, Spokesman for the Military Special Task Force (STF) charged with
maintaining peace in Jos, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Mr. Umoh’s figure, however, differs with that of the
State Government, who announced that 10 people were killed while another 10
sustained serious injuries.

Some reports said the dead included the family of a Christian priest.

Witnesses said the men attacked the family of Nuhu Dawat in the village of
Mazah, 12km (7 miles) from the state capital of Jos, killing his wife, two
children and a grandson.

The priest ran for his life, later telling Reuters: “I leave everything
to God to judge.”

Plateau State Police Commissioner Gregory Anyating told Reuters the
authorities were trying to find out “the root causes of the
violence”, but it had not spread to other villages.

“The attack is nothing unusual; it is just another
attempt to destroy the peace Plateau people have been enjoying in the past
months,” Mr. Gregory said.

He said that those injured were being treated at the
Plateau Specialist Hospital.

“It is an embarrassing situation. Just when we thought we
had found peace, we suddenly have to cope with another ugly situation,” he
said.

The Commissioner, who appealed to the people to remain calm,
and not to take the law into their hands, called for more vigilance from the
STF to prevent a recurrence.